Dean Baker: Why Even President Obama won't champion Social Security

Although millions of middle-class Americans strongly support social security, big bucks campaign donors hate it. That's why

Dean Baker

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 October 2012 08.30 EDT
It is remarkable that social security hasn't been a more prominent issue in the presidential race. After all, Governor Romney has proposed a plan that would imply cuts of more than 40% for middle-class workers just entering the labor force. Since social security is hugely popular across the political spectrum, it would seem that President Obama could gain an enormous advantage by clearly proclaiming his support for the program.

But President Obama has consistently refused to rise to the defense of social security. In fact, in the first debate, he explicitly took the issue off the table, telling the American people that there is not much difference between his position on social security and Romney's.